malevolentsparkle

they sound cool, I may have to get some of them...

they are going to look awesome in your tank. what species are they?

i see them regularly at HWFF

columbians are FAST. but i guess its a bit of a cruel expiriment!

i like it. chuck some coloured paper behind it (try black i recon) and see how that looks.

can they hybridize?

columbian tetras would look awesome....

awesome to see it finished! been following progress on MFKs for a long time! what are your plans for other fish?

the rain may of washed poisons into the pond. thats the only thing i can think of. big water change?

thats why i called it a review just trying out a new idea

vital statistics: Scientific name: Hyphessobrycon colombianus Size: 5-7cm long Water chemistry: typical south american water chemistry, pH 6-7, fairly soft but not known to be fussy. Silver body fading to subtle electric blue on top. Bright red fins. Columbian tetras are a large bodied tetra and usually swim in mid-water but will take food from the surface. They best way to describe them is they are like mini piranhas - body shape, fins and even swimming style are reminiscent of these giants; although they are not classified in the same genus as them. They attack food furiously and add a great deal of movement and interest to an aquarium. They are fairly new to the hobby but they are not difficult or unusual fish. They are semi-aggressive and are not a good match for long finned, slower moving fish, but most of the aggression seems to be directed towards each other. I keep them with cardinal tetras, Bolivian rams, emerald catfish, and a whiptail and they more or less ignore these fish. However they have surprisingly large mouths and even large (1cm+) fry will disappear (learnt that the hard way!). Mine arrived home with some fin damage, I suspect due to the low water level in the bag so make sure the store puts a decent amount of water in there especially if you are buying a large group. Speaking of numbers; the more the better as it spreads the aggression around (similar to tiger barbs). I recommend 7+ in a school. In conclusion, they are a great fish if you tank and tank mates are suitable and in my opinion are the best of the larger tetras. 5* ratings: Appearance: **** Form: *** Behavior: *** Ease of keeping:*** Overall: ***1/2

cool idea. I recon lots of large toitoi and flax around the pond would look good and help with shade. check out what plants they use around stormwater ponds as they are planted to encourage native fish.

kill it or let the cat eat it. i used to rescue them from my cats before they were declared unwanted.

nice!

looking good! what fish you planning?

doc will be VERY interested. let them know

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/01/110107-fish-count-numbers-humans-animals-science/

i have read that they get to 1m long. but they are deep and wide fish so they need depth and width to be comfortable i would think

why is that? it's not as though we have strong tropical sunlight.

what would be the minimum tank size for one? 3m x 2m x 2m?

running the filter in an existing tank is great, and/or grabbing some filter media from an established tank if your filter works that way is great too. adding a bit of fish food everyday is the easiest way i recon. do you have any test kits? nitrite is the most useful for cycling a tank, when the nitrite goes up and then down again your tank is cycled.

reminds me of the problem with my old 'regal' whiptail. be dammed if i could identify him. now just to find a female for my 'royal'.... boy i hate common names.

i always find that there are easier ways than adding dangerous chemicals to cycle a tank. 1 - run the filter in an established tank for a while or 2 - add a little bit of fish food everyday 'feed the tank' or 3 - even rinsing filter media and emptying your WCs from another tank into the new one will help. whatever you do, patience is the key!

get one of those huge plastic storage bins. won't look pretty but it will do the job.